Editing New Acropolis

{{Short description|Non-profit organization}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = International Organization New Acropolis
| logo =
| type = [[Non-governmental organization]]
| founded_date = {{Start date|1957|07|15}}
| founder = [[Jorge Ángel Livraga Rizzi]]
| location = [[Brussels]], Belgium <!-- this parameter modifies "Headquarters" -->
| origins = [[Argentina]]
| key_people = Delia Steinberg Guzmán, honorary president. Carlos Adelantado Puchal, president.
| area_served = Worldwide
| product = 
| focus = [[Philosophy]], [[Western esotericism|esotericism]], [[philanthropy]]
| method = [[Culture]], [[volunteerism]]
| revenue = 
| endowment = 
| num_volunteers = 
| num_employees = 
| num_members = 
| subsid = 
| owner = 
| Non-profit_slogan = 
| homepage = {{URL|www.acropolis.org}}
| dissolved = 
| footnotes = 
}}
'''New Acropolis''' ('''NA'''; {{langx|es|Organización Internacional Nueva Acrópolis}}; '''OINA'''; {{langx|fr|Organisation Internationale Nouvelle Acropole, association internationale sans but lucratif}}) is a [[non-profit]] organisation originally founded in 1957 by [[Jorge Ángel Livraga Rizzi]] in [[Argentina]] positioning itself as a school of [[philosophy]]. As of 2010, it claimed branches in more than forty countries.<ref name="ReligionsOfWorld" /> As of 2020, its president is Carlos Adelantado Puchal.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dordi|first=Kurush|date=2020-06-08|title=Appointment of the New International President – New Acropolis Cultural Organization|url=https://acropolis.org.in/appointment-of-the-new-international-president/|access-date=2020-08-02|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Aims==
New Acropolis describes its founding principles as follows:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/what-is-new-acropolis|title=What is New Acropolis?|website=New Acropolis Official Website|access-date=2019-01-29}}</ref>

{{cquote|
1. To promote an ideal of universal fraternity, based on respect for human dignity, beyond racial, sexual, cultural, religious, social and other differences.<br>
2. To encourage the love of wisdom through the comparative study of philosophies, religions, sciences, and arts, to promote the knowledge of the human being, the laws of Nature, and the Universe.<br>
3. To develop the best of the human potential, by promoting the realization of the human being as an individual and his or her integration as an active and conscious part of society and nature, to improve the world.}}

According to the organization's 2018 assembly resolution, New Acropolis has "three lines of action": philosophy, culture and volunteering.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/assembly-resolutions|title=Assembly Resolutions|website=New Acropolis Official Website|access-date=2019-01-26}}</ref>

== Teachings ==
The organization describes itself as a school of philosophy, which it defines as "a way of life [and] as a means of access to spiritual knowledge and collective and individual realization."<ref name="NASOP" /> According to the organization's webpage, its official introduction program includes the philosophies of Buddhism, Tibet, China, Greece, and Rome among others. The school also offers advanced studies in courses such as psychology, history of philosophy, and [[symbology]].<ref name="NASOP" /> An article published by the organization in ''[[The Parliamentary Review]]'' describes NA as an educational charity promoting the renewal of philosophy in the "classical tradition".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/new-acropolis|title=New Acropolis|website=The Parliamentary Review|access-date=2020-02-18|archive-date=2020-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218004800/https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/new-acropolis|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Scholar of [[Western esotericism]] [[Antoine Faivre]] asserts that Jorge A. Livraga Rizzi wanted to create an "eclectic and rational approach" to Eastern and Western thought. In addition to the study of ancient sources, New Acropolis also tries to promote modern authors such as [[Carl Jung|CG Jung]], [[Mircea Eliade]], [[Joseph Campbell]], [[Gilbert Durand]], [[Henry Corbin]], [[Paul Ricœur]], [[Dane Rudhyar]], [[Jean Chevalier]], [[Jakob Böhme|Jacob Boehme]], [[Helena Blavatsky|Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]], and [[Edgar Morin]]. Some ancient authors it promotes in its literature are [[Pythagoras]] and [[Plato]]; it draws on Livraga's understanding of [[neoplatonism]], Alexandrine [[hermeticism]], [[renaissance philosophy]], [[eastern philosophy]] ([[Hinduism]] and [[Tibetan Buddhism]]) as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mapage.noos.fr/gmdcom/faivre.htm|title=Nouvelle Acropole vue par les specialistes : Antoine Faivre|website=mapage.noos.fr|access-date=2018-09-07}}</ref>

French writer Jean-Pierre Bayard describes New Acropolis as a school of philosophy focused on esotericism and symbolism.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Guide des sociétés secrètes et des sectes|last1=Bayard |first1=Jean-Pierre|date=2004|publisher=Oxus|last2=Olejnik-Sarkissian|first2=Natacha|isbn=2848980397|edition=[Nouv. éd. actualisée]|location=Paris|oclc=470330547}}</ref> It is described by Clifton L. Holland as "a post-theosophical movement that combines elements from many sources: [[Theosophy]], [[Western esotericism|Esoteric thought]], [[alchemy]], [[astrology]], and Eastern and [[Ancient Greek philosophy|Greek philosophy]]".<ref name="ReligionsOfWorld" />

According to [[Peter B. Clarke]], NA teaches a certain [[esoteric]] [[apocalypticism]] regarding the imminent [[Age of Aquarius]] which according to the group "will give rise to great pain and suffering at the outset".<ref name="clarke2006" /> It has also been described as an [[Kardecist spiritism|spiritist]] group.<ref name="clarke2006" />

==Activities==
The organization reported in 2010 having around 10,000 members around the world in more than forty countries.<ref name="ReligionsOfWorld" /> According to the organization, the governing board of the association is composed of a representative of each of its member associations and it functions through a decentralized financial system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Organization |url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/what-is-new-acropolis/ |access-date=2020-01-04 |website=Nueva Acropolis Official Website}}</ref>

The organization's music competitions attract many participants, such as one in Peru which in 2018 attracted more than 6,000.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/1311821-nueva-acropolis-6000-escolares-participan-eventos-musicales-grandes-pais|title=Más de 6.000 escolares participan en uno de los eventos musicales más grandes del país|date=2018-09-05|access-date=2018-09-12|language=es}}</ref> The organization's 2018 commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], which took place in [[Mumbai, India]], was endorsed by [[right-wing]] [[Indian Prime minister]] [[Narendra Modi]], the [[Dalai Lama]], and [[Devendra Fadnavis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://empoweringrealchange.com/endorsements/|title=Endorsements|website=Empowering Real Change|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-26}}</ref>

New Acropolis has been promoting [[World Philosophy Day]] seminars around the world; its India branch was supported in this effort by [[UNESCO]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/major-events/?tx_browser_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=8775&cHash=aec49644ad|title="Philosophy: The Greatest of All Journeys" – A "New Acropolis" Seminar Supported by UNESCO New Delhi|website=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|access-date=2020-01-08}}</ref>

In 2020, the Peruvian branch of the organization was awarded the Congressional Diploma of Honor by congresswoman [[María Teresa Cabrera|Maria Teresa Cabrera]], for its educational work promoting culture, philosophy and volunteering.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-30|title=Empresario Luis Barsallo fue condecorado con un diploma por el Congreso|url=https://larepublica.pe/politica/2020/08/30/empresario-luis-barsallo-fue-condecorado-con-un-diploma-de-honor-por-el-congreso/|access-date=2021-01-05|website=larepublica.pe|language=es-PE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Congreso reconoce compromiso del "Ángel del oxígeno" durante pandemia|url=https://comunicaciones.congreso.gob.pe/noticias/congreso-reconoce-compromiso-del-angel-del-oxigeno-durante-pandemia/|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Comunicaciones|language=en}}</ref>

==Organization and structure==
According to 1976's ''Manual del Dirigente'' (Leader's Handbook) the organization's structure is pyramidal and hierarchical.<ref name="manual 1" /><ref name="abgrall2007" /> The highest level is the World Command, an office that once belonged to Livraga.<ref name="manual 1" /> Under the World Command is the Guardian of Seals, followed by the Continental Commands, the Central Commands, the National or Federal Councilors, the Unified Zone Commands, and Branch Chiefs in descending order.<ref name="manual 1" />

The handbook itself expresses in its page 3 that its contents should be kept secret not only from the public but from every non-directive members of the organization.<ref name="manual 1" /> It also establishes that it is valid for the leaders to hide their Acropolitan ideas, beliefs, and concepts when speaking in public or adapt them to the listener's wishes,<ref name="manual 1" /> and that most of the symbols, salutes, and customs of the organization should be kept secret as other political movements have used them in the past staining its image in the public eye.<ref name="manual 1" />

The ''Reglamento para miembros'' (Members’ [[bylaws]]) of the organization establishes a series of norms for the participants including the obligation of at least 12 hours per month of voluntary work (although this can be increased if the person is sanctioned or if they can't afford the monthly payments),<ref name="reglamento" /> the prohibition of any kind of critique to the leaders and fellow members "to the former in any sense, to the later in their personal affairs",<ref name="reglamento" /> the requirement of the students to stand up anytime the teacher enters the room,<ref name="reglamento" /> the mandatory use of tie and jacket for men and skirts for women in all official events,<ref name="reglamento" /> and to refrain from any kind of so-called "immorality",<ref name="reglamento" /> among others.


[[File:Sede de Nueva Acrópolis en Medellín.jpg|thumb|right|250px|New Acropolis in Medellín, Colombia.]]

==Political ideology==
New Acropolis officially condemns [[Nazism]], [[racism]], and political [[extremism]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/frequently-asked-questions|title=New Acropolis – Frequently Asked Questions|website=www.acropolis.org|access-date=2019-01-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/assembly-resolutions|title=New Acropolis – Assembly Resolutions|website=www.acropolis.org|access-date=2019-01-29}}</ref><ref name="ReligionsOfWorld" /> but the organization has been accused of supporting [[neo-fascism]] and [[neo-Nazism]].<ref name="ReligionsOfWorld" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Martínez |first1=Jan |title=Un profesor de instituto enseña teorías racistas a menores |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1997/02/14/madrid/855923054_850215.html |access-date=29 January 2019 |agency=El País}}</ref> Professor [[Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke]] stated in 2003 that "the structure, organization, and symbolism of the Nouvelle Acropole [New Acropolis] is clearly indebted to fascist models."<ref name="goodrick-clarke2003" /> According to [[Jean-Marie Abgrall]], "New Acropolis has borrowed elitist and [[Aryanism|Aryanist]] symbols and ideas."<ref name="abgrall2007" />

As stated in 2010 by ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'' : "The alleged use of [[paramilitary]] language, symbols, and forms of organization, along with more recent charges of [[brainwashing]], have led to many criticisms of the New Acropolis in [[Europe]], especially in [[France]], since the mid-1970s.”<ref name="ReligionsOfWorld" />


==Cult status==
The [[French Commission on Cults]] (1995) as well as a Belgian parliamentary commission have, as of 1997, registered it as a [[cult]] in their respective countries in an annexed [[Blacklisting|blacklist]] to their report, along with 171 other associations. On May 27, 2005, the public cult blacklists were abandoned by the French government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/|title=Le Point – Actualité Politique, Monde, France, Économie, High-Tech, Culture|first=Le Point|last=magazine|website=Le Point.fr}}</ref> However, [[Serge Blisko]], director of the French Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combatting Cultic Deviances ([[MIVILUDES]]) said to ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' magazine in 2014 that "the French government still considers New Acropolis a cult and it remains under surveillance".<ref name="vice" />

==See also==
* [[Cult]]
* [[Governmental lists of cults and sects]]
* [[List of new religious movements]]
* [[New religious movement]]

==References==
{{reflist|1=30em|refs=
<ref name="goodrick-clarke2003">{{cite book|last=Goodrick-Clarke|first=Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke|year=2003|title=Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity|publisher=New York University Press|isbn=978-0814731550|page=86|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xaiaM77s6N4C&pg=PA86|quote=A recent example of the neo-fascist potential in Theosophy is provided by Nouvelle Acropole movement of Jorge Angel Livraga (b. 1930), the charismatic Argentinian Theosophist who by the 1980s had built up an argent youth following in more than thirty countries. The structure, organization and symbolism of the Nouvelle Acropole is clearly indebted to fascist models.}}</ref>
<ref name="clarke2006">{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Peter B.|author-link=Peter B. Clarke|year=2006|title=New Religions in Global Perspective: A study of religious change in the modern world|chapter=Spiritist and esoteric NRMs in Brazil and Argentina|publisher=Routledge|page=188|quote=A more recent Spiritist movement of Argentinian origin is the New Acropolis movement founded in 1957, also in Buenos Aires, by Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi (1886–1951). This politically conservative movement describes itself as a school of classical philosophy. New Acropolis teachings are based on such diverse sources as the Greek philosophy of Plato (428/27–347 BC), the Theosophical ideas developed by Madame Blavatsky (1831–91) (see Chapter 5) and those of René Guenon (1886–1951) on the theme of the philosophia perennis. One of this movement's main beliefs is in the advent of the Age of Aquarius, which, it warns, will give rise to great pain and suffering at the outset. Like the Escuela Cientifica Basilio the New Acropolis has also become an international movement with a presence in some fifty countries.}}</ref>
<ref name="abgrall2007">{{Cite book|last=Abgrall|first=Jean-Marie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QoFJIJr57b8C|title=Soul Snatchers: The Mechanics of Cults|date=2007|publisher=Algora Publishing|isbn=978-1892941381|pages=24, 66–67|language=en|author-link=Jean-Marie Abgrall}}</ref>
<ref name="ReligionsOfWorld">{{cite book|last=Holland|first=Clifton L.|editor1-first=J. Gordon|editor1-last=Melton|editor2-first=Martin|editor2-last=Baumann|year=2010|chapter=New Acropolis Cultural Association|title=Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices|edition=2nd|pages=2066–2067|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1598842036}}</ref>
<ref name="NASOP">{{Cite web|url=https://www.acropolis.org/en/school-of-philosophy|title=School of Philosophy|website=New Acropolis Official Website|access-date=2019-01-28|archive-date=2019-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129010057/https://www.acropolis.org/en/school-of-philosophy|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="manual 1">Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi (1976-09-01), [http://www.pepe-rodriguez.com/Sectas/Casos/NA/NA_Manual_Dirigente.pdf Manual del Dirigente]</ref>
<ref name="reglamento">{{cite web |last1=Livraga |first1=Jorge Ángel |title=Reglamento interno de Nueva Acrópolis |url=http://files.redune.webnode.es/200000513-e1a77e2a16/NA_Reglamento_interno.pdf |website=Redune |access-date=29 January 2019 |archive-date=29 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129181512/http://files.redune.webnode.es/200000513-e1a77e2a16/NA_Reglamento_interno.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="vice">{{cite web|title=El hombre que escapó de Nueva Acrópolis|work=Vice|date=February 18, 2014 |url=https://www.vice.com/es/article/el-hombre-que-escapo-de-nueva-acropolis-308-v7n1/ |language=es |trans-title=The man who escaped from New Acropolis |first1=Diego |last1=Legrand |first2=Silvia |last2=Lee}}</ref>
}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}

* {{cite book|last=Gallego|first=Fernando|editor1-first=Floreal H.|editor1-last=Forni|editor2-first=Luis A.|editor2-last=Cárdenas|editor3-first=Fortunato|editor3-last=Mallimaci|year=2003|title=Guía de la diversidad religiosa de Buenos Aires|chapter=Asociación Cultural Nueva Acrópolis|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=76xbPBRe95IC&pg=PA402|pages=402–404|publisher=Editorial Biblos|location=Buenos Aires|isbn=978-9507863899|language=es}}
* {{cite book|last=Holland|first=Clifton L.|editor1-first=J. Gordon|editor1-last=Melton|editor2-first=Martin|editor2-last=Baumann|year=2010|chapter=New Acropolis Cultural Association|title=Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices|edition=2nd|pages=2066–2067|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1598842036}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|New Acropolis (NA)}}
* {{Official website|www.acropolis.org}}
* [https://www.about-newacropolis.info/en About New Acropolis (Critical Review): Organization "New Acropolis" – a destructive cult]

{{New Religious Movements}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Philosophy organizations]]
[[Category:Theosophist groups]]
[[Category:Apocalyptic groups]]
[[Category:Fascism in Argentina]]
[[Category:Far-right politics in Belgium]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 1950s]]